Arriving in London in 1988 after half a year backpacking through Africa, Parker gets a telex from Vivian, a fiercely independent German-Argentine linguist who may or may not be his girlfriend. Alone in Malawi, she has contracted malaria, has only $60 left and says she may need his help. Unfortunately, she leaves out where she is in that small African nation.

Swimming in Air captures a unique moment in history, as the couple travel through countries on the cusp of massive change – from Cold War West Germany to pre-genocide Rwanda and apartheid South Africa. Their journey illuminates both the beauty and complexity of the African continent rarely seen with such nuance. As Parker and Vivian navigate political upheaval, witch doctors, eccentric expatriates, and their own cultural differences, their relationship deepens into something neither expected.